Cooking corn smut

It sounds awful. I looks awful. But it tastes pretty darn good! We found "corn smut", which is more commonly called Cuitlacoche or the Mexican Truffle, at the Stockton farmer's market last Saturday -- there's a mushroom seller there who has some pretty unusual stuff at times! (Cuitlacoche can also be found in cans at larger Mexican grocery stores).

I found a few sites with recipes, this one being one of the better ones. Cooked it up with some garlic, a little chili hot sauce (didn't have any real chili poblanos) and tried a little that night. My husband and I didn't get sick or anything, so the next day, I made a quesadilla with it.

It has a slightly gritty texture on the tongue and a bit of a bitter taste. If I had some epazota leaves, it would have brought out that exotic flavor even more.

So if you're lucky enough to live near a corn field, you might want to ask a local farmer if they have any corn smut on their fields. You'll get a pretty strange look, but give it a try!